1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to managing networks and, in particular, to managing nodes in a network. Still more particularly, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for managing a network, managing an inconsistency in a network, and configuring a node.
2. Background
Computer networks are frequently used to transmit and receive data between computers. A computer network is a collection of communication channels that allows a computer to transmit data to another computer. For example, an Ethernet network or a TCP/IP network are examples of computer networks. A network may include a wired network, a wireless network, an optical network, or another suitable type of connectivity.
Data is commonly transmitted from a first computer to a second computer through the network when the second computer is not directly connected to the first computer. In other words, the first and second computers do not share a common communication link. For example, a computer connected to a network in New York City is unlikely to be directly connected to a computer in Los Angeles.
Instead, the first computer communicates with a third computer that is directly connected to the first computer. The first computer sends the data to the third computer with an indication of the destination for the data. The indication may consist of an address in a header for the data. The third computer receives the data and identifies the destination of the data contained in the headers. The third computer then determines which computer is directly connected to the third computer and is the next computer to receive data intended for the destination of the data. The third computer then transmits the data to the next computer. The process may be repeated by a number of computers until the data is received by the second computer.
While this illustrative example is described with respect to computers, the data may be transmitted instead by nodes. A node is a device in the network that transmits and receives data. One example of a node is a router. A node may also comprise a computer or a switch.
Nodes in the network process data that is received and transmit the data to other nodes based on the destination described by a header in the data. However, when the amount of data being transmitted through the network increases beyond the processing speed of one or more nodes, the data may be delayed in reaching the destination for the data. For example, the data may take several multiples of time longer to reach the destination for the data when the amount of data being transmitted through the network is beyond the processing speed of one or more nodes. The delay is referred to as network congestion.
When the network is experiencing network congestion, data may be delayed or lost while being transmitted in the network. In such illustrative examples, retransmitting the data may still not cause the data to arrive at the destination, since the network is still experiencing network congestion.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.